Guard Reaper drone crashes in Lake Ontario

Nov. 12, 2013 - 07:19PM
|

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — A military drone has crashed into Lake Ontario during a New York Air National Guard training mission.

State military officials say the MQ-9 Reaper had taken off from Wheeler Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum and was operating in approved airspace over the eastern side of the lake when it was lost around 1 p.m. Tuesday. They say the aircraft was not armed and there were no injuries.

The drone is used by the Guard’s Syracuse-based 174th Attack Wing to train Air Force pilots who use it on surveillance and attack missions globally.

The U.S. Coast Guard helped Fort Drum crews search for the Reaper until wintry weather forced them to quit for the night.

The cause of the crash will be investigated.

Technical and pilot errors were blamed for a Reaper crash in Nevada last year.